celebrating philippine cinema: new directions 2000 july 28 -- august 8, 2000 photo: bulaklak ng maynila / ada of manila

box office and ticket information | calendar program description This series was organized by Richard Peña, Agustin L. Sotto and Vincent Nebrida, with the help of Domingo Hornilla Jr. and Vicky Belarmino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It is presented in collaboration with the Philippine Independence Day Committee (Alan Britanico, Chairman) and with the support of Ambassador Ernesto Maceda and Philippine Consul General Linglingay F. Lacanlale in New York. Two years ago, with Looking Back, Moving Forward: Celebrating Philippine Cinema, the WRT introduced New Yorkers to a rich new cinematic tradition--new, only in the sense that Filipino filmmaking had not previously been comprehensively showcased here; major movies had been made in the Philippines since the 20s, with more than 100+ films mounted per year by the 50s. In the 70s, a new generation of artists arose--led by Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Mike de Leon--who focused on exposing how aspects of external repression could become internalized and expressed in daily life. Issues of class, gender identity and relationships, as well as the idea of national identity, energized the new cinema with startling power and immediacy. This year's survey of Philippine cinema features the best works of the 90s, new directors and new directions. Join us for the second chapter in our celebration of this exciting tradition of filmmaking.

hubad sa ilalim ng buwan / naked under the moon hubad sa ilalim ng buwan / naked under the moon bata...bata...paano ka ginawa / lea's story bata...bata...paano ka ginawa / lea's story

program: HUBAD SA ILALIM NG BUWAN / NAKED UNDER THE MOON Lav Diaz, 1999; 110m Widely hailed as the brightest new talent to have emerged in the Filipino cinema in recent years, Lav Diaz creates in his second feature film a dark, powerful tale about the limits of faith. An ex-priest, Lauro (a terrific performance by Joel Torre), is forced to move his wife and two daughters back to their ancestral homeland after a failed business venture. Wracked by guilt over the betrayal of his priestly vows, Lauro witnesses the effect his inner torment has on those closest to him, as each family member is forced to search for their own form of redemption. "In NAKED UNDER THE MOON, Diaz again shows his penchant for character study, although this time the palette is broader and bolder....This is a movie of terrible, incendiary secrets. Diaz keeps a tight screw on the narrative and achieves tension through calculated drumbeats of an explosive revelation: spare dialog, oblique silences, and moody photography."--Lito B. Zulueta, The Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila). Preceded by ASONG SIMBAHAN Sari Raissa Lluch Dalena, 1994; 15m In a small town, a painter's art (by the director's father, Danny Dalena) comes to life on canvas as he tries to capture the town's simple folk piety and the idyllic dogs lolling inside the old church--through the eyes of the artist's young daughter. Fri July 28: 8 Sat July 29: 8:45 Sun July 30: 3:30 BATA...BATA...PAANO KA GINAWA / LEA'S STORY Chito S. Roño, 1999; 113m In one of the most remarkable performances in Filipino film history, Vilma Santos plays Lea, a woman who defiantly rejects social convention to experience life on her own terms. A woman's rights activist and mother of two, Lea has been abandoned by the fathers of her children. Her daughter and son are at crucial, transitional ages and she struggles to provide for them while maintaining her hectic job at a women's crisis center. Soon, however, the job and her budding romance with co-worker Johnny threaten Lea's role as mother. When the children's fathers turn up to accuse her of neglect, she must ask herself whether her independence is worth the possibility of losing her children? What role--motherhood or lover--will best satisfy the deepest needs of her soul? (The 35th Chicago International Film Festival) Sat July 29: 1:15 & 6:30 Sun July 30: 8 GANGLAND Peque Gallaga & Lore Reyes, 1998; 97m An edgy thriller with hints of Tarantino: In the squalor of Manila, four kids find sustaining community in their friendship—-armor of a sort against the painful realities of their young lives. Handsome Kano has been sexually abused by his aunt for years; quiet Orson, lover of violin and videocam, was abandoned by his parents when they headed for the USA; Tinto, afflicted by stuttering, is a virtual punching bag for his cop father and older brother; Dodge and his little sister are already veterans of the strip-club scene where their mother performs. For fun and excitement, the four pals decide to take on a local drug-dealer. Problem is, these kids are way out of their league going up against the ruthless Banjo and his gang. Directors Gallaga and Reyes have previously collaborated on horror movies and adventure films for children; in GANGLAND, there’s no make-believe horror, just gritty, unrelenting truth. Wed Aug 2: 4 Thurs Aug 3: 6 Sat Aug 5: 9:30 THE MOISES PADILLA STORY Gerardo de Leon, 1961; 140m Restored print! Alongside Lino Brocka, Gerardo de Leon is unquestionably the major figure of Filipino film history, a great visual stylist who often achieved personal works while directing within classic genre formats. One of his most overtly political films, THE MOISES PADILLA STORY follows the trajectory of a politician in the whirlwind of the post-independence Philippines. Leopoldo Salcedo and current Filipino president Joseph Estrada co-star as aspiring politicians whose ideals run up against the harsh realities of corruption and the hidden structures of power. "A classic film, well ahead of its time...an inspiration for independent filmmakers." —- Mel Tobias, One Hundred Acclaimed Tagalog Movies. Wed Aug 2: 6 Sun Aug 6: 3:30 SARANGGOLA / THE KITE Gil M. Portes, 1999; 85m Veteran director Portes drew the story of THE KITE from an actual incident, and the film carries the punch of a real-life morality play. Humiliated on the job, a cop (Ricky Davao) comes home to drown his rage in drink; mistaking a kid trying to unsnarl his kite for a burglar trying to break in from the roof, Homer shoots the little boy. Unaware that Rex, his beloved 10-year-old son (Lester Llansang), has witnessed this terrible event, the cop works to cover up his fatal error. Suspicion falls on Homer, but the only eyewitness will not testify for love of his father. THE KITE is a moving study about a soul-searing act of violence, the unbreakable bond between father and son and the awful ache of conscience. Wed Aug 2: 9 Thurs Aug 3: 4 JOSÉ RIZAL Marilou Diaz-Abaya, 1998; 178m Circumstances prevented our presenting this splendid film—-commissioned for the 1998 centennial of Philippines independence—-in our first celebration of Filipino cinema two years ago; we are pleased to rectify that omission in the second chapter of our celebration. Working from a solid script she wrote with longtime collaborator Ricky Lee, Diaz-Abaya documents the life of JOSÉ RIZAL, Filipino poet and patriot, not as dry history but as a condemned man's memories, flowing freely as 35-year-old Rizal sits in his cell awaiting death by firing squad. Considered the father of Filipino independence, Rizal instigated a revolution in 1896—-the first in Asia against colonial rule-—and wrote several works, notably Noli Me Tangere, that were responsible for politicizing his island nation. A Renaissance man, José Rizal studied in Asia, America and Europe, spoke 22 languages and was painter, sculptor, surgeon, theologician, fine marksman and fencer. Cesar Montano is superb in the role of this complex, fascinating Gandhi of the Philippines. (The most expensive Filipino film ever made, JOSÉ RIZAL was also the most successful.) Thurs Aug 3: 8:15 Mon Aug 7: 3

gangland saranggola / the kite josé rizal josé rizal

BULAKLAK NG MAYNILA / ADA OF MANILA Joel Lamangan, 1999; 101m Joel Lamangan based ADA OF MANILA on a novel by Domingo Landicho, winner of the much-coveted Palanca Award for Literature in 1995. Amid the beauty and squalor of a Manila slum, Azun (Elizabeth Oropesa), her husband Roque (Bembol Roco) and their daughter Ada (Angelu de Leon) eke out a pathetic living. The family's shanty, perched on a garbage heap, and Azun's vending rights outside a church are "rented" by Timo, the neighborhood tyrant. Timo (Christopher de Leon) covets Azun, and soon arranges to get rid of her inconvenient husband. Hoping to keep her daughter in high school, Azun settles rather happily into being queen of the garbage dump, until a terrible event propels young Ada into dangerous streetlife, with only a precarious dream of happiness to hold on to. Fri Aug 4: 4 & 8:15 Sat Aug 5: 5:30 BABAE SA BUBUNGANG LATA / WOMAN ON A TIN ROOF Mario O’Hara, 1999; 97m Mario O’Hara came into the Filipino film industry as a protégé of Lino Brocka, acting in several of Brocka’s early movies and encouraged to write and direct by his mentor. Movingly framed as a tribute to Brocka, this street-level melodrama is based on a 1970s play by Agapito Joaquin that Brocka himself once planned to film. The central character, Maldo, is exploited as a low-pay high-risk stuntman in the film industry, but this is not one of those backstage films about filmmaking. Rather, it’s a declaration of love for the kinds of Filipino cinema that Brocka championed. The multi-strand plot centers on the hapless Maldo’s discovery that his wife Toying is having an affair, but O’Hara’s over-riding concern is to locate the central couple at the heart of a loose filmmaking community of victims and dreamers. There’s a gay billboard artist unrequitedly in love with a macho boy who cheats and beats him; there’s a faded movie queen (Anita Linda, who also starred in early Brocka movies) on the verge of senility; and there are the homeless people who hang out in the North Cemetery amid the tombs of the rich and famous. This valediction to the great tradition in Filipino cinema was deemed so uncommercial that O’Hara had to shoot it in ten days on a tiny budget. Given the circumstances, it’s a triumph. —-Tony Rayns, Vancouver Film Festival 1999 Sun July 30: 1:15 & 6 Mon July 31: 6:40 Fri Aug 4: 6:15 Sat Aug 5: 1:20 Sun Aug 6: 8 SANDA WONG Gerardo de Leon, 1955; 101m Restored print! Hong Kong cinema joins forces with Philippine cinema in this mythical tale of adventure, romance and brotherhood set in pre-war China. In a remote fishing village, a wealthy landowner calls on the Snake Devil to protect his priceless family treasures, but this isn't enough to stop the bandit Sanda Wong from attempting a raid when the latter learns about the treasure. However, a warlord is the real villain of the piece: he robs the landowner of his treasures, rapes his wife, and forces him to flee for his life. Fate brings Sanda Wong and the landowner together once more as blood brothers united against their common foe. The climactic ending blends surprise and horror with themes of lust and love. Sat Aug 5: 3:30 Tues Aug 8: 1 MILAGROS Marilou Diaz-Abaya, 1997; 134m Based on an award-winning play by the late national artist for theater Rolando Tinio, a close collaborator of Diaz-Abaya, MILAGROS harks back to Tinio’s descriptions of warped lives and the budding academic sophistication of the 60s. Like the mysterious stranger of Pasolini’s Teorema, Milagros arrives in the household of widower Dante Rivero and his three sons, turning one against the other in a grab for salvific remedies. The three sons (brilliantly played by Raymond Bagatsing, Joel Torre and Nonie Buencamino) are forced to confront their individual fates. Milagros herself is not spared and suffers from leukemia: she realizes her dream of paternal affection against the backdrop of Mt. Banahaw, the holy mountain. The film, shot in both a metaphorical and realistic mode, gathered the most number of nominations and swept the awards in the 1998 Urian (critics prize) ceremonies. Sat Aug 5: 7:30 Sun Aug 6: 1:20 Mon Aug 7: 1 SHORT FILM PROGRAM (73 minutes total): A collection of short films showcasing the diverse styles and talents of Filipino filmmakers. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VOLCANO / DOON SA KABILA NG BULKAN (Ellen Ramos, 1997; 10m) A colorful and graceful animation about a tribe that is compensated in a strange way after a volcano erupts in their village. DISAPPEAR / LAHÒ (Fruto Corre, 1993; 7m) In the tradition of Iranian film, this work takes us into a child’s playful imagination. IN MANILA / SA MAYNILA (Miguel Alcazaren, Josephine Atienza, Ricky Orellana, 1989; 7m) With a nod to Man with a Movie Camera, a quick look at the working hands of Metro Manila. SON OF MANILA /ANAK MAYNILA (Nonoy Davidas & Dange Desembrana, 1993; 6m) A combination of still photographs and drawings capture the connection between a mother and child. JUNKZILLA (Nonoy Davidas, 1995; 4m) In this lively claymation, more than a mountain is made out of a molehill of trash outside the window of one Metro Manila family. ALIEN SHELLFISH LOVE PUMP (Luis Paredes Quirino, 1994; 14m, with English VO) A man hears the voices of aliens and thinks he’s the only one. TRAP / PATIBONG (Victor Balanon, 1996; 4m) A visitor to a museum learns where the artist’s inspiration comes from. TRUE BLUE AMERICAN COCONUT GROVE: GAWA SA PILIPINAS (Luis Quirino & Doris Salks, 1988; 11m) A wonderful collage captures a love affair with Hollywood and French cinema. A STUDY FOR "THE SKIES" (Raymond Red, 1988; 10m) A look at the skies through a man who wants to fly. Sun Aug 6: 6:15 Mon Aug 7: 6:15 PILA BALDE / FETCH A PAIL OF WATER Jeffrey Jeturian, 1999; 95 minutes The film tackles a slice of life in a slum community located around a middle-class housing tenement. Representing this community is the pretty 18-year-old slum girl, Gina, who ekes out a living by selling fried bananas around the area and helping her Grandma Cion do laundry jobs for the tenement residents. With her mother dead and her father in prison for armed robbery, Gina serves as surrogate parent to Boyet, 14, and her sister, Maria, 10. Entertaining dreams of a better future, Gina rejects the amorous intentions of ardent suitor Nonoy, whose vices and activities include gambling, drugs, and pimping, in favor of the student Jimboy, a tenement resident and the son of a wealthy usurer. Ironically, Nonoy is more sincere in his intentions than his better-off rival Jimboy who is only after an easy conquest-—but Gina is detemined not to marry another slum dweller. Sat July 29: 3:45 Mon July 31: 4 & 8:45 Mon Aug 7: 8 Tues Aug 8: 3:15